I love my morning meals. If I had to choose just one meal to eat all day, it would definitely be breakfast. We always eat protein in the morning over here, and since anything (even bacon!) can get a little boring day after day, we try to mix it up without getting too fussy about it on the weekdays. That’s why making sausage patties and freezing them is perfect. You can make as many as you want when you have the time, and enjoy them for days. I’ve experimented a lot with a recipe for breakfast patties, and and I think I have it just right. (Video tutorial at the end of this post!)
I recommend using a food processor or food chopper for for this. You can feasibly do it all by hand, but it will be quite a bit more work.
What you’ll need:
- 4-5 thick-cut strips of smoked bacon (streaky, for you UK readers!)
- 3/4 cup chopped leeks (white ends)
- 1 medium apple, cored and quartered (no need to peel, if organic)
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped sage leaves (or 2 tsp of dried)
- 1 tablespoon molasses (honey would work too, just use a bit less)
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 – 2 teaspoons sea salt, depending on personal taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- a dash of cayenne powder
- 1 kilo or 2 lbs ground pork
(Note: Stale old herbs won’t work very well here! Using good quality herbs and spices makes a huge difference.)
What to do:
1. First of all, you have an option of firming up the bacon a little, to give the sausage more body and a little less flab. You can do this by baking the strips of bacon on a baking sheet at 400º F for a few minutes, until the rashers are about half-way done– this takes out some of the moisture, and a little bit of the grease. You can absolutely skip this step, too. I’ve done it both ways, and I prefer to make the sausages with slightly-cooked bacon.
2. Put all of the ingredients except for the pork into your food processor, and whiz until everything is pretty finely chopped. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice, so you don’t have any long strands of leeks.
Once it’s all evenly chopped up, add the ground pork, and just pulse for a couple of seconds until it looks like it’s all mixed well— if you go too long, it makes the texture too crumbly.
3. If this is your first time making them, I would suggest getting out a pan and throwing a little bit of the mixture in to cook and taste. Then you’ll know if you need a little extra salt or acid, before making them into patties. When you’re ready, form them into little patties, and lay them out on a large baking sheet.
4. You can flash-freeze these for a couple of hours, take the frozen patties off of the baking sheet and store them. When you’re ready for a great breakfast, just pull some out of the freezer and cook them in a slightly oiled skillet. You can also bake them in the oven at 350º F for 30 minutes— a great way to prepare a lot of them for brunch!
This recipe makes 14-18 patties, depending on the size. Enjoy! (And here’s a video tutorial on making them and flash freezing for future meals!)
These sausages are also great for a breakfast brunch picnic! We took these to Sandringham on Christmas morning, when my daughter met Queen Elizabeth– we cooked them up and put them in a little tiffin wrapped in a dish towel, and it was a treat to have something warm and sustaining on such a cold morning.
What’s your favorite breakfast food? How do you keep it interesting when you’re short on time?
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Hazel says
These look delicious. I do struggle with protein in weekday breakfasts. I’m always up in time to cook it, it’s just getting everybody downstairs in time to eat it!
It’s mostly porridge at the moment as it ‘waits’ very well, though we had bacon sandwiches yesterday in honour of DH’s birthday.(Birthday boy or girl gets to choose breakfast!)
My son does much better if he has protein in the morning though, so I really ought to make sure I’m providing it. Pork on shopping list and thinking cap on…
Ariana Mullins says
If you try them, Hazel, let me know how they turn out! These are very “American” in flavor– it’s hard to find them like this over here in the UK, but these hit the right notes of what I’m used to breakfast sausage tasting like.
Hazel says
I will. There’s nothing on the ingredients list I wouldn’t put in sausages (we go through phases of making our own) and the butchers round here are big on flavoured sausages, but perhaps not in that combination? Also, I’m not sure we differentiate between breakfast and other sausages? Perhaps because they’re so ubiquitous here. I will try them and report back!
Now off to boil some eggs for breakfast. See? I’m inspired!
Andi Houston says
Thank you! I love making homemade sausage. Our last pig was extremely fat, so I’ve been thinking about mixing some ground venison with the ground pork and making sausage out of that. Thank you for the inspiration!
Ariana Mullins says
I think adding venison could be really tasty! And congratulations on your very fat pig!
Ellen Bryant says
One question…is the bacon you are using American style bacon or UK style bacon? I’m not sure I could find the UK style stuff here in Colorado.
Ariana Mullins says
Good question, Ellen! I just edited the recipe to specify “streaky” which is the regular US kind. I think back bacon would work alright, as well though, and might not need the pre-baking. So, you can’t go wrong!
greatdana says
Can’t wait to try this! I’ve been on a search for a good sausage recipe since we stopped having the butcher season it.
Ariana Mullins says
Dana, I think you’ll like these. Most butchers won’t put in whole ingredients, like fresh leeks and apples. But they are so good, and make a nice texture without the need for any rusk (the crumb mixture that is so ubiquitous here.)
Caterina B says
Very timely post! Hubby has been making sausage lately since we have a freezer full of our own pork, elk, and ground turkey. Last week he made “summer” sausage. It was very good. I will show him this recipe since we like to have some little patties ready in the freezer for breakfast or a quick dinner. Who knew that sausage making could be so simple and easy?
I put a photo of the summer sausage on my Flickr photo page. I remember as a kid eating what my Norwegian grandfather called “polse.” We kids all loved it and thought it was a special treat since we didn’t get it very often. Yum!
Ariana Mullins says
Yum, indeed! I do love having patties in the freezer, and of course the simplicity of not having to use casing is really nice, too! I think these would be great with turkey, and you could probably add a little more bacon to fatten it up. I am so curious about the homemade summer sausage– I will have to look it up!
PreparedtoEat.com says
I think there would be a riot here if I turned bacon into sausage! We love our bacon. 🙂 But that does look really good, very interesting. Breakfast is my favorite meal, too, but I tend more towards hot cereals.
Ariana Mullins says
Ha! Well, the way I see it is that I’m making the bacon flavor go even further by putting it into sausage. But I can certainly sympathize!
Mind Body and Sole says
This was just the post I needed! We just bought a pig and I’ve been trying to find some seasoning for the processer to use for sausage. After reading your post I realized that I can just have him grind it up and I can add the seasoning when I cook it! Yay! No GMO, pesticide-laden seasoning! Thank you for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday! 🙂
Lisa Lynn says
Yum! Found you on Mostly Homemade Monday and would love to have you share this today on The Creative HomeAcre Hop!
https://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2013/02/the-creative-homeacre-hop.html
Bonnie Rose says
I agree we eat bacon and pudding (sausage) with eggs most mornings. thank you for the recipe we will have to try that out.
xx
Bonnie Rose
The Compass Rose
LnL says
Made these today and they are a success(used 1 lb pork and 1 lb beef)…though my taste buds were in sausage heaven, my poor tummy couldn’t handle it-I’m home sick with the flu as it is and I think it’s mucked up my digestion! Nothing nasty-just feeling a bit queasy. Atleast there are lots in the freezer for when I’m all better! Thanks for sharing this. I’m going to enjoy playing with this recipe!
Linda Kazibwe-James
Meghan @ Whole Natural Life says
These look so good! I’m sharing on Facebook and Pinterest.
Anonymous says
thanks for share....
Dione Nye says
I love protein in the morning. This is the reason why sausage is always on our breakfast table. My kids love it too. But if I serve it the same way everyday, it will get boring, so I make different dishes out of it. This recipe looks so good, by the way. My kids will definitely love this when I serve it to them. Thank you!
Dione Nye
Anonymous says
So I made some breakfast sausages inspired by these. I used ground turkey. They were quite tasty and really did make a lot of patties, which are currently on a sheet tray in my freezer. I often don’t measure things, so they could have used more herbs, which I will know for next time. It is so worth it to puree up the ingredients as it gives a uniform consistency and flavor throughout the sausage. Normally I would be lazy and just chop up and add as is.
Meanwhile, it took me just over an hour to prep these. I know I am in a small, not well appointed Manhattan kitchen, but am I an especially slow cook?!?!
Jim says
These look great! I’ll have to try them as soon as I get some pork. A couple of my favorites are quinoa waffles and sourdough buckwheat pancakes with freshly ground organic groats. I add dessicated coconut to insure I am getting my lauric acid too.
Yolanda says
Exciting! Loved this story! My four year old twins have also, voiced some gems in their short lives.
Gabriela Cinkova says
These look great, excited to try when I can get my hands on some of these ingredients 🙂
Rachel says
These were the best breakfast sausages I have ever tasted! Thank you for sharing such a succulent recipe!
David Birney says
These look super tasty, I will have to make these. I also love blood suasage, but but sure I could eat them if I actually made the sausage myself
Ellen says
Just made this and all I can say is, why did I wait so long??? Delicious!
mandy cat says
This looks like something I make with ground turkey meat (which is easier to find around here than ground pork) only much tastier. I saw a cookbook years ago that I’ve been kicking myself ever since for not buying: “Everything’s Better With Bacon.” Ain’t that the truth, sistas?
Definitely on my to-try list if I ever work down inventory in my freezers.
divya sharma says
The pics are looking like mouth watering I tried them and my hubby loved it. They are all easy to made and healthy too. Thank you so much for sharing this blog. I loved it. Keep posting and keep provide these type of easy steps for new dishes.
maira says
My kids love it. Thanks for sharing.
Julia says
My family loves these. I make them all the time! Thank you for sharing!!
Lisa says
Hi, can you clarify how much meat to use. Is this american bacon? I noticed one person commented they used a whole pound of pork and beef. I just want to make sure I use the correct amount. Thank you.
Lisa says
Forget it I figured it it. thanks so much! Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Mary Cowells says
This is an interesting sausage. Apple on sausage is new to me, hence it needs to be done on how does it taste. Thank you for sharing!
Gary S says
I just started to SOUS VIDE. Thick Cut Bacon done in the water bath for 24 to 36 hours before sound like a good starting place.
The bacon crisps up for breakfast in just 5 to 7 minutes in the fry pan for regulat bacon and eggs